Foundations are a way for members of the Capitalist Class, which made their wealth by exploiting workers, to hide some of their wealth from taxation, only to then turn around and use foundation funds to undermine social movements and generate positive PR for themselves.
The Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation
GRIID has always begun our Foundation Watch work by looking at the foundations associated with the most powerful family in West Michigan, the DeVos family. Last week I looked at the Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation, but today we’ll take a look at the Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation.
I am using the data from the foundation’s 990 document for 2022, which is the most recent year that is available. The Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation has $86,526,683.00 of assets in the foundation’s account, which is just another way that members of the Capitalist Class to be able to hide their money from taxation.
Before I dive into how the Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation distributed to of their funds, I wanted to point out that they spent over $1 million on “professional services”, some of which were just a way of giving money back to themselves. For instance, their foundation paid RDV Corporation (DeVos owned) $617,137.00 for a “management fee.” The foundation also spent another $294,728.00 for a “management fee” to Ottawa Avenue Private Capital, which is also owned by the DeVos family. Other expenses for the Doug and Maria Foundation went to:
- Basis Policy Research, which has an office on Wealthy St, and does consulting and research on education policy and practices, with an emphasis on private and Charter School education systems, received $141,661.00.
- Seyferth PR received $71,846.00 as a communications consultant.
- Tiffany McCurley Bierlein Designs LLC received $51,075.00 for consultation services.
I guess when you have over $86 million in assets in your foundation, you can afford to spend over $1 million on services, especially when most of that goes back to entities you already own.
The Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation made contributions to dozens of entities in 2022, but there are some clear categories of groups they contributed to, such as the Religious Right, Think Tanks, Education-centered groups, and social service entities, to name a few. Below is a listing of each from these categories, with a dollar amount.
Religious Right
- Covenant House Michigan – $25,000
- Keystone Community Church – $370,000
- Life International Inc. – $30,000
- Luis Palau Association – $150,000
- National Christian Foundation – $366,000
- Partners Worldwide – $15,000
- Pregnancy Resource Center – $30,000
- Young Life – $55,000
Far Right Think Tanks/Pro-Capitalist groups
- Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty – $80,000
- American Enterprise Institute – $350,000
- Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce – $59,500
- Mackinac Center – $125,000
- National Constitution Center – $6,522,500
- Philanthropy Roundtable – $25,000
- Stand Together Foundation – $1,000,000
Education-centered groups
- Calvin University – $100,000
- Grand Rapids Christian Schools – $450,000
- Grand Rapids Public Schools Foundation – $145,000
- GVSU – $15,000
- K Connect. – $125,000
- Leading Educators Inc. – $900,000
- Living Stones Academy – $90,000
- Potters House – $225,000
- Rehoboth Christian School Association – $100,000
- Talent 2025 Inc. – $25,000
- Wake Forest University – $265,000
DeVos-owned, created or connected groups
- ArtPrize – $25,000 (this was the last year it was being run by Rick DeVos)
- Corewell Health Foundation – $362,000
- Grand Action Foundation 2.0 – $50,000
- West Michigan Aviation Academy Foundation – $60,000
Groups receiving Hush $
- Baxter Community Center – $40,000
- Bethany Christian Services – $116,000
- DA Blodgett/St. Johns – $150,000
- Degage Ministries – $25,000
- Exalta Health – $30,000
- ICCF Community Homes – $30,000
- Kids Food Basket – $7,500
- Safe Haven Ministries – $70,500
- The Other Way Ministries – $30,000
These groups all provide some sort of social service – people fleeing domestic violence, those who are housing insecure, people with disabilities, adoption and immigration. There are root causes to all of these issues, but these groups are not likely to address root causes and larger systems of oppression. When the DeVos family foundations make contributions, this will increase the likelihood that systems of oppression will not be addressed by these groups.
Just last month, the US Supreme Court made the decision that gave state authorities more power to dismantle the encampments of unhoused people in, with no guarantee that they will land anywhere more safe.
Many people, from Liberal, Progressive to left on the political spectrum refer to this as the criminalization of the unhoused. Indeed, we saw this play out in Grand Rapids in 2023, when the Grand Rapids City Commission decided to adopt 2 ordinances that would essentially criminalize those who are unhoused.
The two ordinances that the City of Grand Rapids adopted last year have to do with, 1) loitering, which they define as lingering or hanging around without any apparent purpose; and 2) People cannot be walking around downtown with personal property, which is exactly what those who are unhoused frequently do. It should also be noted that these ordinances were being pushed by the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce and other members of the Grand Rapids Power Structure.
Besides the GR Chamber of Commerce and their collaborators, there are other organizations in Grand Rapids that defend the US Supreme Court decision on criminalizing the unhoused. One such group is the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty.
There was an article posted on the Acton Institute website from July 31st, with a headline that was phrased as a rhetorical question – Is It Now Illegal to Be Homeless?
The author of the Acton Institute article was Trey Dimsdale, who works as a lawyer for the First Liberty Institute, which is a Christian Right litigation group that primarily defends issues of religious liberty. Dimsdale makes the following arguments:
It is easy to assign blame for all the social ills that follow in the wake of gentrification, for example, on the middle-class residents of the new townhomes and high rises that have replaced less expensive, sometimes blighted neighborhoods.
The housing problems in most of America’s large cities, it must be noted, are directly traceable to government regulation.
It is a hard reality, but it is not altogether clear that anyone has a right to housing in the sense that anyone else has a duty to provide it.
So, if cities do not ban camping in public spaces—for the homeless, for the Boy Scouts, and for commuters—does this mean that there is then a right to camp in these public spaces?
Unfortunately, the root causes of homelessness are also the root causes of many antisocial behaviors that are threatening and dangerous. No one enjoys exposure to public urination, aggressive harassment, or intrusive and incoherent yelling. I’ve encountered all these things and more in nearly every city I’ve visited, and within just a few hundred yards of my front door in an urban area.
Barring municipalities from imposing criminal penalties on the improper use of public spaces or antisocial behavior in public spaces for a certain class of person—namely those without shelter—does nothing but remove one of many tools that can ultimately be useful in helping homeless people and solving the complex and tragic problem of homelessness.
The entire argument presented by the Acton Institute writer is based on faulty assumptions and just plain cruelty. This should not surprise anyone, especially if you have been paying attention to the work of the Acton Institute over the years. The Acton Institute has consistently opposed policies that would benefit working class people and simultaneously support policies that benefit the business community and the capitalist class.
In fact, the very pro-Capitalism message of the Acton Institute, is arguably a major contributing factor in the increased number of those who are unhoused and the millions of people who are housing insecure. You can’t be in favor of gentrification, the commodification of housing or the corporatization of the housing and rental market and then say that unhoused people don’t have a right to housing. Maybe it is time we organize an encampment in front of the Acton Institute building and draw attention to their brutally cold support of Capitalism!
Understanding the GR Power Structure – Part VII: The relationship between local colleges, universities and systems of power in Grand Rapids
In Part I of this series I began an updated version of a Grand Rapids Power Analysis, which lays out the ground work for what the Grand Rapids Power Structure looks like and what it means for this community.
When I use the phrase, the Grand Rapids Power Structure and who has power, it is important to note that I mean power over. A local power analysis is designed to investigate who has power over – who oppresses, exploits and engages in policy that benefits them to the exclusion of everyone else – the majority of people living in Grand Rapids.
In Part II of this series on the Grand Rapids Power Structure, I looked at the DeVos family, which I argue is the most powerful family in this city, in terms of economics, politics, social and cultural dynamics.
In Part III of this series I looked at some of the other families and individuals that also wield tremendous power in this city, economically, politically and socially. In today’s post I will focus on the private sector organizations that also have tremendous power and influence on daily life in Grand Rapids.
In Part IV, I focus on private sector organizations, many of which have individuals who are part of the Grand Rapids Power structure sitting on their boards. These private sector organizations serve a vital role in dictating local policy, which primarily benefits their own interests.
Part V took a critical look at the role that the Grand Rapids City Commission and the Kent County Commission play in representing the interests of the private power sector, along with how they use fear and violence against residents who are actively challenging the local power structure.
In Part VI, I looked at how the major daily local news agencies normalize systems of oppression that protect and expand the Grand Rapids Power Structure. Today, I want to talk about the role of colleges and universities as it relates to the Grand Rapids Power Structure.
Colleges, Universities and Institutionalized Power
Dr. Henry A. Giroux, who has written numerous books on higher education, often critical, said the following in an interview:
Higher education must be understood as a democratic public sphere – a space in which education enables students to develop a keen sense of prophetic justice, claim their moral and political agency, utilize critical analytical skills, and cultivate an ethical sensibility through which they learn to respect the rights of others. Higher education has a responsibility not only to search for the truth regardless of where it may lead, but also to educate students to make authority and power politically and morally accountable while at the same time sustaining a democratic, formative public culture. Higher education may be one of the few public spheres left where knowledge, values, and learning offer a glimpse of the promise of education for nurturing public values, critical hope, and a substantive democracy.
While I agree with what Giroux is saying about what institutions of higher learning should be, they often fall way short of these ideals and have become increasingly centers of power, where free thought is limited and places where students and faculty that attempt to organize or take a principled stance are often marginalized or silenced. An example of how this has been playing out in recent months has been the student and faculty led movement in solidarity with Palestine, with demands on their schools to divest from Israel or entities that are complicit in Israel’s apartheid, occupation and genocide.
Amongst the universities and colleges in Grand Rapids, GVSU stands out as the best example of an educational institutions that acts as a buffer for those in power. This hasn’t always been the case, especially in the early years of Grand Valley State College, but once the DeVos Family became involved much of that changed.
Beginning in the mid-1970s, ever since Rich DeVos became a trustee at Grand Valley, the school went from being known as the Berkley of the Midwest to a university that collaborates with the Grand Rapids Power Structure.
Students at Grand Valley State College attempted to challenge the power of Rich DeVos in 1977, but the Amway co-founder offered the college an opportunity to not only become a university, but to shift its focus from a more progressive liberal arts college to a university that zealously embraces a neo-liberal capitalist view of the world.
One indication of the embrace of neoliberal capitalism by GVSU can be seen in the so-called Wall of Fame, art the downtown campus, in the Eberhard Center. The Wall of Fame is made up of members of the Grand Rapids Power Structure, primarily business people, who have served on the board of trustees and donated large sums of money to expand GVSU’s economic influence.
Much of this influence is documented in our Popular Guide to Wealth and Influence at GVSU, which you can download at this link. One example we provide of how wealth has influenced GVSU politics has to do with what happened in the 1990s, when faculty members, who were part of the LGBT community, were told that they would be getting domestic partner benefits from the University. However, word of this promise became public and Rich DeVos and Peter Cook threatened to take away funding they had promised for the new Michigan St. building. Then GVSU President Lubbers, withdrew his commitment to the LGBT faculty and the new building got the funds it was promised.
Another way that GVSU feeds into the GR Power Structure is the increased focus on being a business school, which promotes Neoliberal economic policies. GVSU has been expanding this focus, with the growth of the Seidman School of Business and the Van Andel Trade Center. These programs are “complimented” by the Johnson Center for Philanthropy and the GVSU School of Social Work. These programs re-direct people’s energy into doing social work through non-profits, which focus on serving people who are marginalized in society, instead of being part of movements calling for systemic change. These career tracks generally don’t advocate for systemic change and they often do not even recognize that what is being taught in the business school actually causes the kind of social problems that the populations non-profits serve.
All of these dynamics are supported by those who run the university, such as those who sit on the Boards of Directors and those that make up the various foundations for local colleges and universities. You will notice in the links below how many people represent the business community, the financial sector and the development sector.
- Grand Valley State University Board of Trustees
- Grand Valley State University Foundation
- Calvin University Board of Trustees
- Aquinas College Board of Trustees
- Davenport University Board of Trustees
- Davenport University Foundation Board
- Cornerstone University Board of Trustees
- Cornerstone University Foundation Board
- Grand Rapids Community College Board of Trustees
- Grand Rapids Community College Foundation Board
Another aspect of GVSU’s function as part of the Grand Rapids Power Structure is that the current President Philomena Mantella, also is involved in several of the organizations that I mentioned in Part IV of this series, such as the Right Place Inc., the Econ Club of Grand Rapids, and Grand Action 2.0. In addition, Diana Lawson, the Dean of the Seidman College of Business, sit on the Board of Directors for the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce.
One last example of GVSU’s relationship to the GR Power Structure was the announcement in 2023 that GVSU would be partnering with organizations that are part of the local power structure to provide a “talent pipeline” for businesses.
Lastly, I want to say that I know plenty of faculty and staff at local colleges and universities, people which do good work and try to get students to think critically. I also know faculty that have had deep commitments to providing students with deep learning opportunities and experiences, only to be either marginalized or fired for doing so. This type of suppression makes it increasingly difficult for faculty and staff at local institutions of higher learning to take risks and to challenge those who run these schools, which more often than not function to normalize systems of power and oppression in Grand Rapids.
In Part VIII, I will talk about the relationship between religious organizations and the Grand Rapids Power Structure.
In her most recent weekly Email message, Rep. Scholten at the following response when she was participating in a panel discussion hosted by the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum:
When asked what I’m doing to help create a circular economy here in West Michigan, I had a robust answer at the ready – walking the walk, not just talking the talk, by funding green energy initiatives through my discretionary appropriations like the GR Biodigestor; and working on legislation like the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act (H.R. 6053), of which I am a cosponsor.
There are numerous point to make in response to the Congresswoman’s comments. First, it is important to point out that the term circular economy is a term that has increasingly been used by the people who are promoting green capitalism, which is essentially means that they want to appear to be more environmentally friendly, while expanding markets and continuing to perpetuate consumption. For those who want to explore the false solutions of green capitalism I would recommend the following books:
- Green Gone Wrong: Dispatches from the Front Lines of Eco-Capitalism, Heather Rogers
- This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate, by Naomi Klein
- What Every Environmentalist Needs to Know About Capitalism, by Fred Magdoff and John Bellamy Foster
Second, the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum is a group that promotes green capitalism, embracing the idea of a circular economy or what used to be fashionable, the Triple Bottom Live.
Third, the response from Rep. Scholten during this panel discussion is instructive, both by what she says and what she failed to say. Rep. Scholten highlights two things, the GR Biodigestor and a piece of legislation she has co-sponsored. The GR biodigestor is designed to use organic waste and turn it into natural gas. According to an MLive article from 2022, the City of Grand Rapids is selling the natural gas to DTE. DTE is a company that profits from the trafficking of fossil fuels and they are notorious for shutting off gas to people who can’t afford to pay it in the current economy.
The legislation that Rep. Scholten referred to is H.R.6053 – Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2023, would provide some good regulation on the production and use of plastics, but it is unlikely to pass since this industry has deep connections to Congress. In addition, it is important to point out that Democrats generally will propose somewhat progressive legislation when they are not in control of Congress, but they can still appear to be progressive on issues.
However, it is what Congresswoman Scholten did not say that we should really be concerned about. Rep. Scholten has been bragging about for months her roll in getting additional federal funds for the Kent County Airport. As the Kent County Airport expands, it means that more people are using air travel as a means of transportation. According to the David Suzuki Foundation:
Carbon emissions from the airline industry grew by 75 per cent from 1990 to 2012. It’s expected they will continue to grow rapidly until 2050. If left unchecked, they could consume a full quarter of the available carbon budget for limiting temperature rise to 1.5 C.
Another thing that Rep. Scholten didn’t say was that she voted to provide federal funds to re-open the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in SE Michigan. Not only does nuclear energy a bad choice when moving towards a fossil fuel free future, it put people at risk to exposure to nuclear radiation and it perpetuates the mining of uranium, which is a polluting industry that disproportionately impacts indigenous communities around the world.
A third item that Rep. Scholten failed to mention is the fact that she has not only voted in favor of increased weapons sales to Israel and the Ukraine, she has voted for the massive US military budget. Not only is militarism one of the most anti-environmental realities in the world, the US Military consumes more fossil fuels than most countries do on an annual basis. It is impossible to vote for increased militarism and claim that the care about the environment. These issues are intertwined, as the recent report No War, No Warming: How Militarism Fuels the Climate Crisis documents so thoroughly.
There are a number of other things that Rep. Schoten did not address, which contribute to environmental destruction, and Climate Change, such as our continued emphasis on pushing cars over an efficient mass transit system, the unsustainable realities of agribusiness – which is subsidized by the US Farm Bill, or how human and non-human species are being impacted by the global heat waves and other forms of extreme weather that is directly related to the current climate crisis.
No matter how much Rep. Scholten likes to say she is “walking the walk, not just talking the talk” on environmental matters, her voting record says otherwise.
Palestine Solidarity Information, Analysis, Local Actions and Events for the week of August 18th
It has been more than 10 months since the Israeli government began their most recent assault on Gaza and the West Bank. The retaliation for the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel, has escalated to what the international community has called genocide, therefore, GRIID will be providing weekly links to information and analysis that we think can better inform us of what is happening, along with the role that the US government is playing. We will also provide information on local events and actions that people can get involved in. All of this information is to provide people with the capacity of what Noam Chomsky refers to as, intellectual self-defense.
Information
State and Local Efforts to Divest From Israel Are Gaining Steam
International Court of Justice Finds That BDS Is Not Just Legal, But Obligatory
Israeli Prisons Are a Giant Torture Machine
Israeli Society Is in a Deepening State of Contradiction
Students Left Out of Discussions About Student Gaza Protests
Israel Has Killed 2,100 Babies Under 2 Years Old in Gaza, Rights Group Says
Analysis & History
New report from the Israeli Human Rights group B’tselem – The Israeli Prison System as a Network of Torture Camps
Local Events and Actions
Power to Palestine: Weekly Rally in Grand Rapids
Wednesday, August 21st, 6 – 7pm, Rosa Parks Circle
https://www.facebook.com/events/992936209242057?ref=newsfeed
Foundations are a way for members of the Capitalist Class, which made their wealth by exploiting workers, to hide some of their wealth from taxation, only to then turn around and use foundation funds to undermine social movements and generate positive PR for themselves.
It is that time of the year again, when GRIID posts about the various West Michigan Foundations from families that make up the Grand Rapids Power Structure. I start with the DeVos family, which has just 5 different foundations, since the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation was recently fazed out, which I wrote about in a 2 Part series.
The Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation
GRIID has always begun our Foundation Watch work by looking at the foundations associated with the most powerful family in West Michigan, the DeVos family. The Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation has been one of the largest in West Michigan, which was founded in 1989, the same time that Dick DeVos was the CEO of Amway. According to GuideStar, in 2022, the Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation contributed $8,657,300.00 leaving them with $57,782,067.00 of funds left in their foundation account.
The Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation made contributions to dozens of entities in 2022, but there are some clear categories of groups they contributed to, such as the Religious Right, Think Tanks, Education-centered groups, and social service entities, to name a few. Below is a listing of each from these categories, with a dollar amount and a brief analysis.
We also include groups that are DeVos owned or created, along with liberal non-profits. With the liberal non-profits, we believe that funding from foundations like the DeVos family foundations is a form of hush money. When we say hush money, we mean that these entities will not publicly challenge the system of Capitalism, the wealth gap, structural racism and other systems of oppression, which the DeVos family benefits from and perpetuates through their own political funding.
Religious Right
- Alpha USA – $100,000
- Global Leadership Network – $400,000
- Help Pregnancy Crisis AID Inc. – $75,000
- Mars Hill Bible Church – $246,000
- Museum of the Bible – $50,000
- Partners Worldwide – $25,000
- Pregnancy Resource Center – $20,000
- Right to Life of Michigan – $25,000
- Embracing the Journey Inc. – $200,000
These religious groups practice varying degrees of conservative politics, which fit into the ideological framework that the DeVos family is committed to. For instance, Right to Life Michigan spent $9,343,500 to defeat Prop 3, which allows people to legally chose to have an abortion.
Far Right Think Tanks
- Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty – $252,500
- American Enterprise Institute – $375,000
- Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies – $650,000
- Foundation for Individual Rights in Education – $25,000
- Great Lakes Education Foundation – $100,000
- Institute for Cultural Evolution – $34,000
- Mackinac Center for Public Policy – $625,000
- Philanthropy Roundtable – $50,000
- The Claremont Institute – $260,000
- Young America’s Foundation – $25,000
These Think Tanks influence public policy in individual states, like the Acton Institute and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy does in Michigan. The American Enterprise Institute and the Philanthropy Roundtable do the same thing, but at the federal level, which is why they are based in DC.
Education-centered groups
- Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy Inc. – $1,000,000
- Grand Rapids Community College Foundation – $50,000
- Holland Christian Schools. – $51,000
- Northwood University – $250,000
- Potters House – $200,000
- Prager University Foundation – $25,000
- Student Freedom Initiative – $500,000
- University of Maryland – $1,450,000
DeVos-owned, created or connected groups
- ArtPrize – $200,000 (this was the last year it was being run the Rick DeVos)
- Chicago Cubs Charities – $10,000
- Corewell Health Foundation – $330,000
- Grand Action Foundation 2.0 – $50,000
- West Michigan Aviation Academy Foundation – $450,000
Of course all these entities that were created by DeVos family members, also promote their ideological religious and capitalist values. On top of that, it also means that DeVos family members are funding their own entities and using their foundation to fund their own pet projects, like Grand Action Foundation 2,0 – which promotes development projects in Grand Rapids that use public funds and expands their wealth – or the West Michigan Aviation Academy – because it promotes the privatization of education.
Groups receiving Hush $
- Baxter Community Center – $5,000
- Exalta Health – $10,000
- Degage Ministries – $5,000
- ICCF Community Homes – $25,000
- Kent County Habitat for Humanity – $5,000
- Kids Food Basket – $5,000
- Safe Haven Ministries – $10,000
- Women’s Resource Center – $10,000
These groups all provide some sort of social service – people fleeing domestic violence, those who are housing insecure, people with disabilities, adoption and immigration. There are root causes to all of these issues, but these groups are not likely to address root causes and larger systems of oppression. When the DeVos family foundations make contributions, this will increase the likelihood that systems of oppression will not be addressed by these groups.
Foundations rarely make contributions without strings attached. The Dick and Betsy DeVos has a long history of funding far right and religious right groups, which GRIID documented 10 years ago when we started this project. Lastly, it is worth noting that the Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation, like all of the DeVos family foundations, compliments the campaign contributions they make to further impact public policy and promote their religious and capitalist ideologies.
GRIID interview with Grand Rapids Pullover Prevention
GRIID – As a new autonomous group in Grand Rapids what was the motivation or inspiration to form the GRPOP?
GRPOP – Seeing the harm done in the name of “routine” traffic stops was the primary motivation to host a pullover prevention clinic. We have seen this harm in our own personal negative experiences with police, along with the tragic murder of our neighbor Patrick Lyoya – stopped for an expired tag. You can see the extension of these patterns at a national level – the data from Mapping Police Violence for traffic stop related incidents of violence can be seen at this link.
A clinic where we change burnt out brake and tag lights for free seemed like an actionable opportunity to improve the experiences and material conditions of people living in Grand Rapids by limiting the number of interactions with law enforcement. We have seen the success of these clinics in other Michigan cities like Ypsilanti (Ypsi POP), Detroit and Lansing (facilitated by the General Defense Committee) and are inspired and influenced directly by their work and practice.
GRIID – According to the Stanford Open Policing Project, police pull over more than 20 million motorists annually, with significantly skewed patterns of racial bias. Can you talk a bit about the realities and consequences of being pulled over by the police, especially for BIPOC people?
GRPOP – Remember that policing in the US originated with slave patrol – a violently racist institution that prevented and criminalized the free movement of black and brown bodies. The origins of policing can still be seen in the drastic disparities in outcomes of interactions with police between communities of color and their white counterparts.
Police often use an excuse of something minor like a burnt out brake, tag or tail light to initiate an interaction with the intent of finding something more substantial during the stop. Due to the inherent racism in policing, this practice is disproportionately used to target BIPOC drivers. We have seen locally and nationally the way that these targeted traffic stops can result in incredible harm and violence. The murders of Patrick Lyoya, Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, and countless others are tragic outcomes of “routine” traffic stops. Even in less lethal circumstances, these interactions can lead to expensive tickets and court dates. If traffic tickets go unpaid, licenses can be suspended or folks can end up in jail. In this way, the financial impacts of unnecessary interactions with the police place an additional burden on all working class people.
All marginalized people are at increased risk of violence at the hands of police. Immigrant communities, visibly queer people and neurodivergent people are also routinely targeted and brutalized. This harm is not nameless or faceless and we recognize the humanity of those who had their lives stolen by this discriminatory state violence right here in Michigan:
• Patrick Lyoya • Riley Doggett • Samuel Sterling • Tony Cox
• Jaquan Kiante Fletcher • Michael Contrell Adams III • Damon Grimes
• Farhad Jabbari • Deven Guilford • Dominique Charon Lewis
• Gabriel Vernon Stevenson • Antonino Thomas Gordon • Andrew Blowers
• Brian Douglas Laxton • Kyle Anthony Goidosik
We call for justice for those on this list and many more that would not fit in this article. Say Their Names!
GRIID – You have an event coming up on August 24th in Grand Rapids. Can you say a bit about what this event is about and how people can support your work?
GRPOP – On August 24th from 10am-2pm at First Community AME Church we will be hosting our first Grand Rapids Pullover Prevention (GR POP) Clinic and Mutual Aid Fair. We were delighted to learn that First Community AME Church specifically has a history of liberatory work here in GR. As noted in The People’s History of Grand Rapids, they hosted Kwame Ture, a dedicated Pan-Africanist and Black freedom fighter during the Civil Rights Movement.
At this event we will have trained volunteers checking vehicle brake, tail and tag lights and replacing burnt out/broken bulbs for FREE! The goal is to mitigate interactions with GRPD – put simply, if all your lights are working, cops will not have an easy excuse to pull you over. The GR POP event will also include a mutual aid fair – where community members and groups will get together to offer a wide array of services and resources to everyone who stops by. The mutual aid fair is open to anyone who wants to participate. We only have 4 rules:
1.) No Money 2.) No Cops 3.) No Electoralism 4.) No Bulls***
Ultimately, the best way to support this work is to ground yourself in community. You can give someone a ride, help someone bring in their groceries, host a clothing swap, meet your neighbors. Showing up for eachother even when it might be inconvenient is how we start to build the future we imagine and we all have an integral part to play. We are interested in creating a fun and engaging event to show that, as Movimiento Cosecha says, “everything we need we can find in the community”.
If you would like to support GR POP specifically, you can volunteer for the event, organize with us or join the offerings at the mutual aid fair. You can email us at grpop616@gmail.com or message us on instagram @grpop616.
GRIID – Will people have to bring their own brake lights or other items to be replaced for this event, or will they have to pay for them?
GRPOP – Nope! This is a completely free event. We will have general inventory on hand and volunteers arranged for day-of bulb purchasing. To avoid any waits, you can complete this form to be sure that we will have your bulb on hand. It is important to us that this event is completely free due to our commitment to a mutual aid model of community care:
GRIID – Besides hosting pullover prevention actions like what you are doing on August 24th, what other actions or events are you hoping to plan, and how critical is the educational component of events like what will happen on the 24th of August?
GRPOP – The big dream is to build these clinics into the social fabric of the city and let this be a consistent, reliable space for people to get together and see how we can meet our own needs. To start, our plan is to host pullover prevention clinics every other month in different neighborhoods around Grand Rapids and proceed in ways informed by the communities expressed needs and responses.
Beyond this, we answer to the community. We will do whatever we can in our capacity to connect people with the resources necessary for healthy, happy and successful futures free from policing. We aren’t interested in becoming an organization that sets out to execute all mutual aid efforts ourselves but we want to be a source of connection, for community building.
While we are working to share and build skill proficiencies in our community – the unique educational aspect of this event comes down to the empowerment we can provide in spaces like this. We already have phenomenal organizers in this city working to educate on abolition and the harm of policing specifically in BIPOC communities – groups like ACAbolition, Defund the GRPD, Comrades Collective, etc. We are here to create a space for exploring, in practice, what we can do without institutions like policing and to build confidence in our city that we can take care of each other.
GRIID – Is there anything else you want to share with our readers about what GRPOP, and how can people get involved who want to support this kind of work?
GRPOP – We are just a group of everyday people, some of us are experienced organizers and for some this is our first time flexing these muscles. We come with all different and nuanced experiences and skills and want to show those who maybe want to “do” something – you can just do it. You don’t need to be a member of an organization or work in the nonprofit world to connect with people working toward a shared vision or to bring that vision to life.
We really want to encourage people to get involved in mutual aid and community building. To support this work you can start with some very simple things like meeting your neighbors, taking someone to the doctors, helping someone with housework or car maintenance, organizing your own clinic or event to engage and serve the community. The options are really endless! If you want to get involved with GR POP specifically you can reach out to us on socials or at grpop616@gmail.com – even if you’re not sure what you have to offer in an organizing space we are happy to help you plug in and find your place – we all have one!
Betsy DeVos is now saying she would be willing to be part of a second Trump administration
Just two days after the failed January 6th, 2021 insurrection in Washington, Betsy DeVos submitted a letter of resignation from the Trump Administration.
I wrote a response to the resignation letter from the former Secretary of Education, pointing out numerous aspects of the letter that were disingenuous and cowardly.
Despite Betsy DeVos’s attempt at distancing herself from Donald Trump, she is now saying that she would be willing to be part of a second Trump Administration if asked.
The New Republic reported – as did many other news outlets – that DeVos said she would return to the post of Secretary of Education, but with one condition, she would like to serve with the “goal of phasing out the Department of Education as we tried to do through the budgetary process in the first administration.”
The New Republic article went on to say:
DeVos also said that she would like to pass “a major education freedom bill in the form of a tax credit mechanism,” alluding to school choice vouchers at the federal tax level, part of conservatives’ grand plans to eventually get rid of public education in America.
I have no doubt that Betsy DeVos would do the things she said she would do if Donald Trump asked her to head up the Department of Education again. During her stint as Secretary of Education from 2017 – through her resignation, GRIID wrote dozens of articles providing analysis of her actions during those years, which you read at the GRIID Betsy DeVos Watch section.
Betsy DeVos was in Detroit recently at a GOP fundraiser when she made these comments about her willingness to be part of another Trump Administration. And while she has not personally endorsed Trump as the GOP presidential candidate for the 2024 Election, DeVos did say she will, “definitely be supporting the Republican ticket.” Just more evidence of the ruthlessness of Betsy DeVos and the DeVos family.
The Hotel Tax is not a done deal: Funding community needs over entertainment venues in Kent County
On August 6th, voters in Kent County marginally decided to support the hotel tax increase that was on the ballot and being promoted by the group Destination Kent Committee.
I say marginally, since the vote was 65,909 in favor and 56,976 against. This is a small difference, especially when you consider that the Destination Kent Committee raised $468,450.00, nearly half a million dollars in just a few months, without any real organized opposition. The Destination Kent Committee spent most of their money on Public Relations and Advertising, with a large chunk being used for mailers and radio spots in the Grand Rapids market.
However, even with the slim margin of votes in favor of the hotel tax increase, the money that the ballot initiative stated would be used for the outdoor amphitheater, the Soccer Stadium and the Aquarium is not completely a done deal.
According to an MLive article from August 9th:
Tuesday’s vote gave Kent County the ability to levy the additional tax. Now, for it to go into effect starting in 2025, the county board must approve levying it. County Administrator Al Vanderberg said the board could consider doing so as soon as its Aug. 22 meeting.
The MLive article also states that Grand Action 2.0, which contributed $300,000 to the campaign to pass the hotel tax increase, will be asking Grand Rapids City Commissioners to provide $27 Million in public tax money to cover the rest of the cost of the outdoor amphitheater, and likely an additional $100 Million at a future date for the Soccer Stadium.
Seeing that there is still a window for the public to weigh in on this matter, there are some options for action. First, there is a petition created by Kent County Commissioner Ivan Diaz, which states the following:
At the August 22nd, 2024 meeting of the Kent County Board of Commissioners, the Board will be asked to appropriate funds from the County Hotel/Motel tax to fund projects that are being built or have been proposed in the downtown area, including the Acrisure Amphitheater, the Soccer Stadium and an Aquarium.
Investments should and need to be made in other parts of the County, not just the Downtown Area.
If Public Dollars are being demanded for these projects, the Public should benefit.
Sign our petition to demand that a percentage of the revenue from the Hotel/Motel Tax is used outside of the downtown area so that our entire County can benefit from these initiatives! After signing, reach out to your County Commissioner to demand that they fight for their communities!
Second, people could show up at the August 22nd Kent County Commission, a meeting which begins at 8:30am in Room 310 of the County Administration Building, to push the County Commissioners to make the same kind of investments in other parts of Kent County and/or for people in the county that are struggling to survive in this economy.
According to the Destination Kent Committee, once the Hotel Tax increase goes into effect, it would result in an estimated $24 Million in tax dollars generated. What if instead of redirecting that money to pay for entertainment venues, the $24 million annual would go to provide social housing for families, rental assistance for tenants, addressing food insecurity, improved health care and more environmental justice outcomes for the people who already live in this city and are struggling to survive.
Rep. Scholten meets with West Michigan businesses that have US military contracts and claims their function is to promote peace
In Rep. Scholten’s weekly Email newsletter for the week of August 10, the Congresswoman wrote:
Here in West Michigan, we do our part to provide for the common defense! This morning I joined The National Defense Industrial Association for a Congressional Delegation at ADAC Automotive. We were joined by dozens of area businesses that work on supporting our U.S. military, as they work to protect US.
Of course such claims are not supported or verified, since we are all supposed to accept on blind faith that the US military is protecting us. However, there is very little evidence that the US military actually protects people, whether they be US residents or other people around the world.
The fact is that Rep. Scholten met with members of what former US President Dwight Eisenhower referred to as the US Military Industrial Complex. Not only did Eisenhower name the US Military Industrial Complex, he warned us of the dangers that the weapons industry.
The reality is that Rep. Scholten was meeting with West Michigan military contractors, companies that are subsidized by taxpayers to manufacture or provide other services to the US military. More accurately, these businesses that have contracts with the US Military are receiving Corporate Welfare.
Now, the only company that Rep. Scholten mentions in her weekly newsletter is ADAC Automotive. Therefore, we don’t know who the other people pictured in the photo or which companies they represent. It is possible that there was someone from GE Aviation Systems, which has US military contracts, one of which is for KC-46A Pegasus aircraft that are being sold to the Israeli government. Perhaps there was someone from Plasan North American, which has a factory in Walker, Michigan, and makes military vehicles that are being used in Israel’s genocidal assault on the Palestinians.
Regardless of who was at this meeting with Rep. Scholten, the point is that she has consistently voted for the annual massive US Military budget, which results in US taxpayers subsidizing these military contractors and those weapons being used to murder people around the world.
Rep. Scholten does mention that the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) was present at this meeting with local military contractors. The Michigan Chapter of the NDIA is an extension of the Pentagon, where US military leaders work with the private sector to develop and manufacture weaponry and other technology that the US Military wants to develop. In March of 2024, The Right Place Inc., hosted the NDIA in Grand Rapids for an Army Contracting Command Day.
Of course, those pictured with Rep. Scholten represent just a small fraction of the local businesses that have contracts with the US Military. Here is a fairly updated list of Grand Rapids companies that have had a contract with the US Military between 2000 and 2020. Again, we all pay for this shit.
Lastly, it is worth noting that Rep. Scholten likes to brag about getting federal dollars for local charitable projects, but she fails to mention that the amount of federal dollars that goes to local military contractors is always more than what small amounts she brags about in her weekly newsletter. Rep. Scholten is doing the very thing that Dr. King warned us all about in 1967, when he said, “ A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy 